Top Cities for Vanity

The Most Vain Cities in America

We ranked the top cities where people go to great lengths to look good

June 13, 2012

Researched by Maria Masters, Illustrations by Noma Bar

The Sunshine State has a long history of going to great lengths to look good. Five hundred years before Botox, that Ponce de Leon guy scoured Florida for a fountain that could rinse off the wrinkles. Today? Tampa tops our list of America's Vainest Cities, and Miami is eighth.

We added up each city's rates for cosmetic procedures (American Society of Plastic Surgeons), Botox users, folks who go for dye jobs, and people who will spend anything to look younger (Experian Marketing Services). We also tallied sales of at-home hair dyes, teeth whiteners, and shapewear (SimplyMap), as well as per-capita rates of cosmetic dentists, plastic surgeons, and tanning salons (American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, AMA, and SimplyMap). Finally, Foursquare told us where people check into those salons most often. (Want to look and feel your best? Discover the no-diet, no-workout health plan that's better than running 5 miles a day!)

SAVE FACE WITH THE KIDS

Not all plastic surgery is a vanity project. Sometimes it's needed by children who have physical deformities due to birth defects or illnesses like cancer, says Whitney Burnett, executive director of the National Foundation for Facial Reconstruction. This nonprofit helps 2,000 people a year—mostly children—receive reconstructive surgery, prosthetics, counseling, and other support at minimal or no cost. It's time to obsess less over your own looks and donate at nffr.org.

A TASTY TAN

For a UV-free summer glow, visit a farmers' market, not a tanning salon. Eating three extra servings of fruits and vegetables a day can boost the redness and yellowness of your skin, making you look healthier and more attractive, a new Scottish study reports. Credit carotenoids, the antioxidants that give produce like tomatoes and peaches their color.

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